1st Timer: What are some typical mistakes people make?

[oxberger]

This fall will be the first time going west and trying for Mule Deer. I going to try Western South Dakota, figured start with something easier than climbing mountains. Have about 50 more pounds to loose yet, down 25 already. So trying to tackle mountains is not smart this year.

What are typical mistakes people make going out West?

 

[Jdavis9753]

Not scouting the area before hunting. Google earth doesn’t show the animals.


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[robby denning]

Assuming no bucks are around and moving too fast


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[Graves14]

Finding excuses not to go or not to stay.

 

[Fatcamp]

Not glassing first and last light.

Not being prepared to be comfortable when the weather changes.

 

[kickemall]

Taking more stuff than you need.

Trying to hunt farther than everyone else or farther than you need to.

 

[Brianb3]

Not enjoying the hunt because of pressure to kill. Live in the present and enjoy the opportunity. Gods made some pretty remarkable places for us to enjoy


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[EastMT]

Glass an area good, every bush. They are masters of hiding in open country. I’ve seen a big buck in an open crop field, lay down, turn his head sideways, disappear in 2’ milo. Thought we were going crazy, no place for him to go, poof gone.

 

[Elite7]

I went for the first time last year. Glassing at first and last light is important. It's amazing to watch the mule deer in the mornings and then watch them dissapear after the first couple hours. We hunted the open lower county and if you drove by it during the day you would have marked it as a poor area and kept moving.

It took me a couple days to understand why so many of these guys offer tips on slowing down and glass until it hurts your eyes! Looking back it is comical that my first approach was to walk and cover as much ground as I could.

 

[klxracer92]

Wind! Pay attention to the wind, always... Scout and glass.... Be patient... Use the terrain to your advantage..

 

[idahohikker]

What Elite said about walking around and not glassing. That said, the ok' master himself, Denning, suggests stillhunting cover during the day in his book and I'm anxious to try that, in addition to glassing wary and late. Seems like a good use of the middle of the day hours in addition to glassing.

 

[Osprey]

Assuming no bucks are around and moving too fast


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This for sure.

I hunted last year for the first time for Mule deer however I'm an avid mature whitetail hunter and do so on heavily pressured public areas. So I already went into it wanting a specific caliber buck and if it didn't happen I was eating my tag.

I hunted CO 2nd season and scouted several days prior so I think I put in maybe 12 days all together.

I found a big mature mule deer while still hunting some P&J saw him about 2-3 seconds and was about .5 seconds too late getting the scope on him. That will not happen again as I'm going to practive being a lil quicker. I then glassed that area hard all day dark to dark for a few days until I turned him up again but he made it to private before I could get to him. He was later bumped outa the area by some other hunters and I relocated to a completely new area only to miss a giant at 470 yds in teh evening at the end of the season that was the closest I could get to him he had a perfect bedding location. I even glassed that area 2 days before turning that buck up but I found a pocket of does and figured it was too good of an area for a buck not to be. During that time I did pass about 8 bucks throughout the week including a decent 3x5 that really was tempting fate but I held off knowing how much bigger the other buck was in that first area. So for me the mature Mule deer won in 2017 but it was a easy draw unit and I will be back soon and often. Still can't believe I missed a giant at the buzzer. Would of made a lot better story if I got it at the buzzer.

Robby put together a lot of really good information about Mule deer hunting I would highly recommend reading the book, watching his vids, and reading his blog posts. It helped a lot, I never hunted Mule deer before and went to a new unit and found two mature mule deer in 12 days in the hardest rifle season CO has. Recognizing big buck country, having confidence in what I was doing, as well as haing a good mental attitude througout the hunt put me on those bucks. I owe a lot of what I have learned to Robby.

 

[lif]

Biggest mistake I made the first year I went was passing up on a buck opening day I would have loved to take because I thought I would find better. Have a realistic idea of your standards going in and don’t pass it up. Now, DONT shoot the first forky you see, but don’t be ashamed of your own standards. This has made the 20 years since then a lot more enjoyable. Fun before trophies my friend!! Good luck.

 

[npm352]

Mistakes....hunting the roads that 100s of others are hunting and not seeing much...

Giving up before a buck is in the dirt

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[ramont]

Pretty much like any other kind of hunting, moving too fast and over estimating your ability to hit a live target in the field.

 

[lif]

Every post I read on this thread makes me feel worse. I’ve done them all a hundred times.

 

[Fatcamp]

Ha Osprey! My first season I had a really nice buck dead to rights the last morning and managed to screw it up like a rookie would. Would have been an awesome story!

This year I tipped over a handsome 3X3 on the last morning.

One feels waaaay better than the other.

 

[Wapiti1]

Not taking a camera and using it. A first hunt is something you won't get again. Take photos to share with friends and family after the hunt. You don't have to be a top photographer, but photos make your story richer for both you and your audience.

Good on you for dropping the weight. I was there once, and it is tough. Keep it off at all costs. You'll be a happier man for it.

Jeremy

 

[Bubblehide]

I took a buddy under my wing a while back, turned into a very good friend (currently in med school, and I miss hunting with him). He was am upland bird hunter, and he viewed mule deer hunting as if he were upland bird hunting; walking until you find them. The guy is not a dumb hunter, just simply inexperienced in hunting mule deer, so he used his experience to mold his view. On our first hunt, my concentration was getting him a buck, not me getting one. He was smart, and just wanted any legal buck. So we got at odark 30, fixed breakfast and headed out at least 2 hours before first shooting light. we got to a productive spot, and I told him to keep looking over the slope in front of us and across from us, as I laid back and told him to wake me if he spont anything. I napped on and off, waking about every 15-20 minutes (typical of the way I hunt at times). Afet about an hour, we moved upslope, and went on repeat, and did it again. He later confessed that he thought we were wasting out=r time based on his experience upland bird hunting. At the 3rd stop, we spot a legal forkey, and he get set up. The buck is about 300 yards away.

My buddy misses the first shot, and after providing some corrective info, he misses the second a couple minutes later. There was simply no 3 shot opportunity, as even young immature bucks are normally not that stupid. A couple days later, the cold winds coming from the north picked up and we got up extra early to head to a productive spot during such conditions. We settle in to a self made blind well before first shooting light. About an hour after legal shooting time, we spot a couple does in different places but both about 100 yards away from us, making it impossible for us to move. He was ready to move. I told him we need to give it at least another couple hours. about hour 2, we start spotting a large group of does across canyon, 300 + yards away. Hour 3 I spot 2 bucks, a 4x4 and a forky about 100 yards from the does. 15 minutes later I knew there were at least 4 legal bucks. My buddy was smart, and decide he was more than willing to take the first legal buck to present a good shot opportunity, as they were up and down, and back and forth for bedding to feeding. A while later we were looking for his large mature fork by fork, despite the 4x4 being a dandy. Again, he made the smart choice for his first mule deer in a zone with a horrific hunter success rate.

A couple years later, we found the same conditions, went to the same spot, and managed to harvest a 4x4 and a 3x4. My point here is that the vast majority of new hunters, simply try walking until they spot deer; unknowingly passing a plethora of deer. My suggestion is to scout an area and find high use areas, and concentrate your time in those areas, spending 2 or more hours at one spot at a time. Keep your movements to a bare minimum and thet the area settle, and the animals forget that you, an intruder, are there. Give them time to feel comfortable to move about a little bit, so you have the possibility of an opportunity.

Best of luck!

 

[CaliforniaMuley209]

glass the nooks and crannies and be patient. don't jump from spot to spot not giving areas time for a good look. and relax and have fun!

#firstpost